Picture by Bruce Rollinson/SWPix.com. Jess Jonassen was superb in a losing cause today.
Rich Pyrah hopes Yorkshire’s talented but raw dressing room realise how lucky they are to be able to learn from experienced overseas star Jess Jonassen.
Australian Jonassen scored 64 and took 2-20 in a brilliant all-round performance, but she couldn’t prevent the White Rose from suffering a seven-wicket defeat against Hampshire.
She was one of the few to be able to deal with the spin on a used Utilita Bowl pitch – which saw leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington take a five-wicket haul for Hampshire.
Pyrah said: “Jess has been great. She’s battling through a little injury at the minute, and you’ve seen she’s still got 60-odd and 2-20 today.
“She’s a great cricketer and a great role model for our girls.
“I just hope the rest of the squad are understanding how lucky they are to have somebody like Jess around. We’re all learning off her.
“(She and Georgia Adams, who scored 61) have had the experience of playing against high-level spinners when it’s spinning.
“Wellington didn’t really miss her length, and she was spinning it like that. It was pretty skilful bowling.
“She was turning it pretty big. Some of our girls have never faced that, especially at this level. They’ve never faced that quality of spin for a long period of time while it’s spinning.
“It’s about finding out where they need to improve. Jess has played all over the world when it’s been spinning, so she’s got a real clear game plan.
“For the rest, they’ve got to see what her level is now. They’ve seen what her level is and they’ve got to figure it out. We need to help them do that.”
Yorkshire had been in a good position, having chosen to bat, at the half-way point. But fell from 116-3 to 166 all out.
Pyrah added: “That’s sort of the story of the game. We’re getting into some good positions and not really kicking on. That’s been the story of our season really.
“I’m taking the bigger picture out of this. We’ve got a few injuries of the girls who have been batting around seven and eight, such as Rachel Slater, who’s doing well as an all-rounder, and Maddie Ward.
“It’s changed our batting order completely. We just haven’t got the depth. We’ve got Claudie Cooper coming in at 8, but was batting at 11 at the start of the season.
“That’s where we are at the minute, so I’m very aware of that.
“We just need to make sure that a couple of the batters take it a little bit deeper, because we’re getting into some good positions.
“We just need to do it for longer periods of time and somebody go and get a hundred, like they were earlier this season.”
